BDO/WDF WORLD MASTERS 2005
review by Andy Fairclough
Television coverage of this year’s World Masters started on the BBC at the quarter final stage.
First on and nearly off the stage was former World Champion John ‘Boy’ Walton who tripped and fell on the stairs to get onto the stage. His opponent Brian Woods had already qualified for the Lakeside World Championships in January, so a good game was in the offing. Walton started well taking the first leg with a 115 checkout, and the first set soon after. Woods went behind 2 sets to 0 in the first to three race and then began to up his game. A 10 dart leg from Woods made it 2-1 in sets to Walton but the experienced former World champ dug deep and showed his class with a 154 checkout to win the match by 3 sets to 1.
The second quarter-final was a high quality affair between Martin Adams and Darryl Fitton. Adams raced away to the first set with a 126 and 100 checkout and the second soon followed. Wolfie was averaging around 100 with Fitton not doing a lot wrong on a 96 average. A 116 checkout for Adams at the start of set three was just about the final straw and the match soon followed – 3-0. A rematch on the cards 1st round at Lakeside in January.
Quarter-final three saw Raymond van Barneveld blitz past a disappointing Gary Anderson 3-0.
Unknown Swede Goran Klemme took out Darts legend Bobby George at the last 16 stage and no one expected him to give much of a test to World Trophy holder Gary Robson. However Klemme threw some very accurate darts and with some clinical finishing, he soon brushed aside Robson 3-0.
SEMI FINALS
Martin Adams against Ray Barneveld was a repeat of the World final 2005 in which Barney showed real dominance. Unfortunately for Adams this match was a repeat performance from the Dutchman. Barneveld raced to 3-0 and then 4-1 with Adams having a chance to retreive another set. The chance was missed and Barneveld soon raced home a 6 sets to 1 winner.
Coverage of the Goran Klemme / John Walton match didn’t begin until it was already 4-3 to the Swede. In the following sets Walton was disappointing and the Sausage Maker from Sweden became an unlikely World Masters finalist with a 6-3 win.
THE FINAL
A true story of an underdog versus a grand master! Shockingly Goran Klemme took a 3 sets to 0 lead against Barneveld with some great finishing, while the 4 times World Champ was missing key doubles.
However Barneveld took out 130 to make it 3-1 and it seemed the impetus the Dutchman needed to turn the match around. Klemme missed a double to go into a 4-2 lead with Barneveld capitalising and tieing the match 3-3. Barneveld took the next set and Klemme tried a comeback in set 8 with a 100 finish in the first leg but Barneveld took two legs on the trot to make it 5-3. The next two sets soon followed and with it the World Masters trophy and title back to Raymond van Barneveld.